Salty Tears III The Drive Back Home
by Extraho
Summary: Several years have passed and Bobby has settled down and is setting his mark on the world when Jerry calls telling him Ma has been shot but is still alive. rated T 'cause of touchy themes but nothing graphical. mentioned mpreg No 3 in the series


Salty Tears III; The Drive Back Home

Bobby was driving from the airport. He was thirty-three years old now. He had been in Seattle when Jerry had called him a few day's ago, telling him that Ma had been shot. She was still alive and healing up nicely, but she wanted him there.

It had been seven years since Bobby had been in Detroit. Not since the summer after Jack had unknowingly shattered his heart. It wasn't Jack's fault though. Bobby had gotten over it and moved on, thanks to his former coach Derek. Bobby glanced in the mirror of his black Audi A8 and saw that his boys were still sleeping. His eldest twin boys at eight; Kieran and Odin. Then came Derek and his little girl Domino at four. Domino was curled up in the front seat, because it was her turn to sit in the front.

Bobby smiled. Life had turned out good for him, though, it hadn't seemed that it would nine years ago. He and Derek had become a couple after some time taking two steps forward, one step back – in addition to keeping it a secret.

Evelyn had asked Bobby to come home for a few weeks and he complied. Derek was supposed to follow a few days later because of some stuff that needed to be prepared for the next season.

Bobby and Sofi had been bantering like they always did. Only Evelyn knew that they were in fact brother and sister – by blood – and therefore knew it was only natural that they kept on with their snapping and snarling at each other.

Angel – who had been quiet ever since Bobby told him about Derek – suddenly started yelling aggressively at Bobby. Jerry hadn't said much; he knew that Bobby had swung both ways before Bobby did. Jack was touring with his band somewhere down in California and could not get the week off.

He could not remember what Angel had been on about in the beginning, but the endings were pretty clear; Bobby was no longer a brother too him. He didn't want a _whore _for a big brother. It stuck pretty deep, straight through actually, with a jagged bladed knife.

In the months to come Bobby always wondered what had made his brother say something like that to him. Especially when he knew what Bobby had gone through as a child. Both at the hands of his various stepfathers, and what he had to do to survive as an orphan on the winter streets of New York. It stuck deep.

Most of it was blank after that. He remembered going to his car, his mother and Sofi trying to stop him, Sofi yelling louder at Angel then she ever had at him. He could not remember the drive back to New York, only when he got back to the apartment he and Derek shared. He had thrown himself into his arms and broken down. No one ever made him feel like he could just let loose and let someone else take care of the world like Derek.

The weeks after he had gotten sick. He was throwing up constantly, but he refused to go to the doctor. If he did that Derek would see his file. He hadn't wanted Derek to see his file.

He had been sick for almost a month when Derek had forcibly carried him to the car and driven him to the hospital. While the doctor checked Bobby, Derek – as the closest family at the moment – was handed his file. It was six inches thick.

He started at the beginning. Bobby had been born almost a month early. After that it was mostly injuries – he was rarely sick. Cuts, burns, bruises and when he got older it was worse; broken bones, fractures, evidence of sexual abuse. When he was thirteen he was brought in by child services to have an abortion – result of rape. He was thirteen.

It was after that the injuries were prone to come from fighting, later hockey.

Bobby knew Derek had thrown up at least once by the time he had finished his file. They never talked about it, mostly because Bobby had suppressed the worst of it. He could not even remember having been four months pregnant by his mother's boyfriend.

Bobby remembered being scared when Derek came into his room. He had been sitting with his legs tucked under his chin, shivering. He was three months pregnant. Derek had been so sweet about it all. He had even been happy, worried, but happy.

Odin and Kieran Mercer had been born five and a half months later. They had decided only to use Bobby's name, as Derek had no desire to continue his. Having split names would only make life difficult for the children later in life anyway.

He hadn't spoken to anyone from his family through his entire pregnancy, though, he had two counseling sessions a week to deal with his childhood traumas. The twins had been six months old before he finally picked up the phone to answer his mother's calls. He hadn't invited them to the wedding.

It was four years later that things started to go bad again. The boys were four by then and Bobby had played three seasons since they were born. The past weeks he hadn't been feeling well, so he hadn't played. Derek had been forced to go onto the ice to break up a fight during a game. An elbow in the face had struck him. The bone of his nose had been pushed straight up into his brain. He died instantly.

It was only because of Odin and Kieran that Bobby had made it through that period in his life. He rarely spoke with his mother – or Sofi – just every other month to say he was okay. She had gotten worried when he didn't call for three months and caught the train up to see him. She came the same day he found out he was pregnant again. The boys were on a sleepover, so they didn't witness Bobby's fanatic clearing out of alcohols or any kind of pills to stop himself from even thinking of taking a drink. He had quit smoking years ago, but boy, it had been tempting.

He stopped playing hockey professionally then. The club was devastated, but they understood. He had been offered the position as manger of the club, and as the manager was about to retire. Bobby accepted. He still loved the game. It may have taken his lover from him, but it had given him the lifeline he had needed to ever live to experience that love, and that love had given him his four fire cracking troublemakers.

Bobby had made the club into an all winning team by picking players that were though enough, and good enough. He had an eye for talent that few could compete with. The owner of the team had been a close friend of Dereks and therefore Bobby. A strong friendship formed between the two of them, but that didn't stop Bobby from chocking in his drink when his testament was read up, and everything had been left to him and the Quartet Terror as most had started calling his kids. He was so proud of them. Few argued though, as the old man didn't have any family to speak of.

Quentin Raven had been an orphan too, but he hadn't been lucky enough to find someone like Evelyn Mercer, though, he hadn't lived through what Bobby had either, but it was common ground for them. Bobby had decided to start up a junior team and a children's team for the club, where everyone could come play. He got the other teams in the league to join in on the program. It had been a major success and money was rolling in by the millions. Every penny was used on the children's hockey team program, the rest, several hundred thousands was given to different orphanages and teen shelters every year. Robin Mercer was a big name by the time Jerry called.

The kids believed Bobby when he said he would make it better, and that he understood what they were going through, because had been through it too, and they knew it. Bobby's story – heavily edited and censored – was common knowledge to most now. Bobby knew that there were few people like Evelyn Mercer, who did things out of the kindness of her heat. He also knew that what the kids really needed was someone who cared, not expensive toys, but people needed to pay their bills, and voluntary work did not.

Many were juggling two – even three jobs to keep afloat. People needed to have an opportunity to care; Bobby made caring many people's jobs. It was a job that would save many kids from a fate worse than death, like his own childhood. It was a job that saved many families from bankruptcy – all out of the goodness of his heart. Derek Gaines and Evelyn Mercers hearts.

Bobby glanced at the golden ring on his left hand, glinting in the sun, and a shot of longing shot through him. He missed Derek so much. It hadn't been love at first sight – they'd know each other for years before they got together – it hadn't been perfect, nor sorrowless or even easy or peaceful, but they had worked, and they had grown to love each other. Their love was built on trust and years of friendship.

Bobby was well aware of that it could easily have gone the other way, and shot their friendship dead, but it had been worth it. For those five good years, it had been worth it. Even the two twin births and the two rounds of six-month periods with therapy during both pregnancies – that had been worse that actually squeezing the four terrors out of him.

"Hey, wake up." He said and turned on the radio to wake up the kids. "We're here." He added as he turned into the street his mother's house was on. The kids in the street stopped playing hockey to stare at the nice car that was shining in the sun.

"Are we there yet, Daddy?" Domino asked. Her voice was soft and groggy from sleep.

"Yes, sweetheart, we're here." He said and turned the engine off. "Odin, Kieran, Derek! Wake up! Last one out of the car is a ballet-dancer!" Bobby laughed as the boys went from half asleep to darting out of the cool car and into the hot sun. Domino was out next.

"Daddy is a ballet dancer!" they chimed. Bobby held his hands up in mock surrender as he stepped out of the car.

"Okay, okay, I admit it! Your Dad is a ballet-dancer." He laughed. The kids all made identical faces of disgust.

"No way! Our Dad is not a fucking –"

"Watch your mouth Kieran!'

"- ballet-dancer!"

"But you swear Daddy!" Odin said.

"When you're as old as me, you can swear as well."

"Really?" the boy's face lit up. "Can I drink and smoke too?"

"Yes."

"Promise?"

"Yes."

"When will he be as old as you Daddy?" Domino asked suspiciously. Bobby grinned; Domino had always been the smart one.

"Never. He will always be twenty-five years younger than me." He said and ruffled the little girl's blonde hair.

His laughter choked in his throat when he saw his brothers standing in the front yard – Angel still by the door. Jerry and Jack was on their way down, having absorbed the shock of seeing their big brother with children running around his feet. Seeing him in a really nice suit was another matter.

Bobby had his breath knocked out of him as Jack pounced and jumped on him. The twenty-eight year old rock star was not waif thin like he used to be, and he was even a few inches taller than Bobby. Jack had put on at least thirty, maybe forty pounds of muscle. The familiar shark's-toothed smile shot shivers through Bobby.

"What the fuck happened Bobby? It's been nearly ten years!" Jack whispered as he clung to his big brother.

"Yeah." He said and wiggled out of Jack's hug. He could not help it; he just didn't like to be touched. When he pulled away, Bobby could see a noticeable blush had spread on his baby-brother's cheeks. Bobby bit his tongue. Yes, it had been ten years, but his Jackie was still as beautiful as he was back then. He could not deny that the grown up version of Jack Mercer was even more delicious than the teenager.

It was Jerry who broke the tension. "So who are these little fellas? We haven't been introduced." He said, shooting his eldest little brother a pointed glare, knowing full and well, having received a word-for-word update from Sofi – some in Spanish, but he got the gist – nine years ago, that it was Angel's fault that Bobby had cut most ties with his family, save the occasional "hello, I'm fine, bye" to their Ma.

"Ah, yeah. This is Kieran and Odin." He introduced the eldest twins. Odin had a full head of thick shocking blond hair with dark, almost black eyes. Kieran had soft brown-black hair with blue-grey eyes. "And this is Derek and Domino." Domino had dark hair waved like her father had, with vinegar green eyes – like Sofi – Derek had the same green eyes, but with dark blond hair.

He noticed Jack's eyes pull towards the golden ring on his left hand. Was it Bobby's imagination, or did Jack look like he was about to cry?

"S-so, you're married?" he asked. Bobby could hear his voice quivering, and growing sore.

He shook his head and looked to the ground. "Not anymore."

"Told you it wouldn't last." Angel called from the door. "And now you're stuck with four chains."

Domino scowled. "I don't like you!" She spat. "You're a mean and bitter old man. I can feel it!"

Bobby tried to save the situation by introducing Jack to the kids. "This is Jack, your uncle –"

"I've got 'sall your CD, Kieran said and bounced. "Daddy bought them for us for our birthday –"

"- And a guitar, so we could learn to play!" Odin finished.

Jack smiled a quivering smile. "Sounds like fun. Do you want me to teach you to play a few songs?"

"Yeah!"

"Okay." Bobby chuckled. "This is your uncle Jerry, he's got two girls about your age, and they play hockey to." Domino grinned in anticipation.

"Who is the mean man?" she asked.

Bobby stiffened. How should he answer that? "I'm not sure, sweetheart." He just said and turned back to his brothers. "How's Ma?"

"She would be doing better if you could drag your white ass in to see her!" Jerry snapped good-naturedly and laid his arm over Bobby's shoulders. Bobby smiled and let Jerry lead him into the living room. It was different now; there was a bigger tv and new couches.

"Robin Kieran Mercer! Is that a suit I see on you?" Evelyn called from the kitchen. Bobby grinned.

"Sure is Ma. How you been?" He asked as he hugged her carefully. "Besides the new watering holes."

"We've been managing. I've missed you Bobby." she said and kissed his cheeks. Bobby felt guilt swelling in his chest. Had it really been necessary to stay away for nine years?

"He's back now." Jack's dark voice said. When did his voice get so deep? "That's all that matters." He said with a small smile.

"Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!!" came two excited voices along with the hurried pitter-patter of eight feet. "Can we go play hockey with the kids outside?" Kieran asked.

"Yeah, take Derek and Domino with you, and be back before dark."

"Thanks daddy!" they chimed and ran back out.

Evelyn arched a brow. "The two eldest ones must be Kieran and Odin, but the other two? Are the yours?"

"Yeah, it's Derek and Domino."

"And how's Derek? Senior I mean?" Angel asked from the door. "Didn't stick around, did he?"

Bobby's face darkened as his fury made it to the surface. "No, people don't tend to stick around when they're dead!" he said coldly. Evelyn closed her eyes. That had been the one subject she had hoped would not come up with Angel around

"Shut your mouth Angel. You make nothing but trouble!" Jerry snapped. "So you adopted some kids eh? Cool of you to take them in by the pair. They even look like you."

Bobby sighed. "They're not adopted."

He didn't notice Evelyn's surprised expression, or Jerry's lack there of or even Angel's features laced with disgust. The only thing he could feel was Jack's heated blue-green eyes boring into him.


End file.
